Young owl travels to Medford for needed eye surgery

MEDFORD, Ore. – A rescued 6-month-old great horned owl will travel 90 miles to Bliss Animal Eye Care Tuesday to have cataract removal surgery.

According to Bliss Animal Eye Care, wildlife rescue organizations deemed him un-releasable back into the wild after his rescue because of cataracts in both eyes.

Wildlife Safari’s head veterinarian says his lack of vision is concerning, and staff wanted to improve his quality of life as an animal ambassador for public education.

Dr. Bliss says “this young owl has a relatively rare form of cataracts seen in very young birds and are significantly affecting his vision and quality of life.”

After surgery, the owl will return to Wildlife Safari for care, but will return to Bliss Animal Eye Care for routine check-ins.

“We are very excited to give this juvenile Great Horned Owl the gift of vision for the remainder of his life,” says Wildlife Safari Veterinarian Dr. Riner.